“They surrender?”
“It would seem so, but why?”
“Aye,” Jeros didn’t trust it any more than Darkcord did. This had to be some sort of trap cooked up by Incendium and Faeniana. “Hold fire for my order, ye ken?”
Darkcord nodded. “Understood.” He charged away in the direction of the archers on the makeshift barriers erected in haste to offer additional protection to the boundary wards.
Jeros climbed the observation tower and pulled his spyglass from his belt. “Show me,” he ordered, and the instrument immediately started to glow. He put it to his eye and swept his gaze across the sky.
And then his weary heart jolted, nearly leaping from his chest. It was her. Lexi. Astride the biggest monstrosity of a beast to ever incinerate the earth. “Stand down!” he bellowed, roaring the words over and over as he descended the tower at a dangerous speed.
He charged forward across the desolate gray grounds surrounding Sevenrest, waving his arms like a fool, but he didn’t care. His beloved had come home.
The mightiest of the dragons, a fierce, formidable enemy, set down in front of him, sending up a cloud of dust and ash. The rest of the horde remained aloft, hovering in a graceful circle as if watching over their lord. Aylryd leapt to the ground, then turned and looked up at Lexi. She leaned forward, hugging the dragon’s neck and pressing her forehead to its scales. Then she swung her leg over and slid off the beast, making use of the creature’s wing to aid her descent.
“Jeros!” Arms outspread, but holding an eerily familiar trident in one hand, she careened toward him. “Jeros!”
As they collided, he caught her up. “My own,” he groaned against her cheek as he clutched her close. “Ye came back. Ye found a way back.” He buried his fingers in her hair, tilted her face up to his, and crushed his mouth to hers. Senses whirling, her sweetness almost more than he could bear, he was tempted to take them both to the ground and love her right then and there.
She wrapped her arms and a leg around him, clutching him as if afraid he wasn’t real. “I’m so mad at you, but I missed you so much.”
“I did it to protect ye,” he said between kisses, unable to get enough of her.
“As you can see, I am not helpless.” She pulled back and fixed him with the sternest, most beautiful glare he had ever received. Tears welled in her eyes. “I love you so much.”
“I love ye more.” He ended the conversation with another kiss until Aylryd head butted their legs and nearly toppled them over. “What the feckin’ hell do ye want?” he asked the tiger.
The animal looked over at the dragon as if reminding Jeros that they had guests.
Lexi smiled, looped her arm through his, and tugged him closer to the fearsome beast. “This is Corvit, Lord of the Red. If not for him, Incendium would still be alive and destroying the land.”
“If not for the fearlessness and determination of she of the prophecy,” Corvit said, “I would not have found myself in a position to free us from Incendium’s cruel reign.”
“You can talk out loud?” Lexi sounded so incredulous that Jeros almost laughed. Almost. He caught himself in time.
“Of course I can speak aloud.” Twin curlicues of light gray smoke spiraled up from the dragon’s gleaming red nostrils. “It would be rude to have a conversation without including King Jeros.” Corvit lowered his head. “Yer Majesty.”
“I have yet to be anointed,” Jeros said for the second time that day.
“Ye have been anointed by the fires of war,” the dragon said without hesitation. “Ye are our king and she of the prophecy is not only our queen, but overlord of the Fae of the Fires.”
“I was going to ask about that staff,” Jeros said, “as soon as I properly greeted my beloved one.” While he felt certain it would be a story worth many retellings around a wintry fire, he was currently enraptured with the return of his mate.
“Incendium was torturing Corvit,” Lexi said, anger flashing in her eyes.
“Ahh…I understand completely now.” And he did. Lexi tolerated no cruelties to any creature.
“So, Corvit and his clan are my friends now. They are going for the deep sleep.”
“Thegreatsleep, she of the prophecy,” the dragon gently corrected.
“Yes…The great sleep.” Lexi tipped a gracious nod. “Sorry. I have a lot to learn about this realm. Thank you for keeping me straight.” She playfully shook a finger. “Never hesitate to correct me. Okay?”
Corvit’s leathery lips curved upward. “It is our honor to serve ye, she of the prophecy.” He stretched taller and spread his wings. “With yer permission, Yer Highness and she of the prophecy, I shall go now. My clan awaits.”
Speechless, Jeros offered the majestic dragon his best formal bow.
Lexi curtsied. “Thank you for your friendship, Corvit. Be safe, and I hope you and your clan have the sweetest dreams ever.”
